Implementation of model predictive indoor climate control for hierarchical building energy management

Abstract

This paper addresses the design and implementation of a model predictive control framework for temperature control in buildings zones via direct control of their thermal energy inputs. Comfort-centric approach in ensured by selecting building thermal zones to be equal to the physical building rooms. The framework integrates different identification and estimation technologies, machine learning and model predictive control to assure systematic handling of non-modelled disturbances and offset-free control. It is envisioned as the lowest level in the hierarchical decomposition of building subsystems responsible for comfort and shaping the overall thermal energy consumption in building zones. The paper shows how it is deployed on a full scale occupied skyscraper building. To enable optimization of the whole building behaviour a special focus is put on developing the possibility for interaction and coordination with other building subsystems or energy distribution grids. This ensures the scalability of the approach, computational relaxation, technology independency, cost-effective implementation and enables upscaling towards the smart grid and smart city concepts where buildings play decisive roles.